Public Vaults

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Upcoming Renovation

The National Archives Museum in Washington, DC, is redesigning its permanent galleries, learning center, and theater. To prepare the new spaces, the Public Vaults exhibition will close on July 5. The National Archives Rotunda—home to the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights—will remain open during the renovation. The Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery, the David M. Rubenstein Gallery, and the National Archives Store will also remain open. For more information, click here.

This once-in-a-generation renovation is scheduled to be completed in summer 2025 and will be part of the Archives’ celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence the following year.

The “Public Vaults” is a permanent exhibition in the National Archives Museum in Washington, DC. Here, you can experience the feeling of going beyond the walls of the Rotunda into the stacks and vaults of the National Archives.

The “Public Vaults” features 1,100 records — both originals and facsimiles — including documents, photographs, maps, drawings, and film and audio clips drawn from the more than 10 billion pages of textual records; 12 million maps, charts, and architectural and engineering drawings; 25 million still photographs and graphics; 300,000 reels of motion picture film; and 400,000 video and sound recordings that make up the records of the Archives.

See important treaties and legislation dealing with grave matters of state, citizens’ letters to the President, citations for military bravery, records that document the lives of ordinary Americans and those who wish to become Americans, and so much more!